Darcy's feet were killing her, for a number of reasons.

Firstly, her flip-flops no longer fit her. She hadn't anticipated this when she went for a walk by herself in the city. She thought maybe her swollen feet made things a little uncomfortable, but like a lot of other things she'd been in denial about lately – like the fact that her vagina may rip apart in a few months – she kept it at the back of her mind, hoping to deal with it later.

But her feet were swollen because she was nearly six months pregnant and hadn't replaced her flipflops before New York's spring turned into the smothering summer weather Darcy never got used to even though the same thing happened every year.

She hated the New York summers and she'd lived in New Mexico, for Christ's sake.

Feet swollen with blisters blooming between her big toes and her second toes, she sat on a park bench with a Firecracker Popsicle, watching people watch her as they walked past.

She knew she looked like she'd swallowed a basketball.

It probably didn't help that she was dressed like she'd rolled out of her dorm room. The borrowed shirt she wore over the only pair of shorts that still fit her had plenty of food stains that Darcy was not apologizing for.

Her phone buzzed in her pocket and she took it out, frowning at the number.

"Hello?"

"Something happen? I thought you'd be back by now."

Darcy smiled at the sound of Steve's voice, though he was concerned.

"I'm fine. Just had to make a pit stop."

"You sure you're okay?"

"My feet are pretty bad."

"I told you –"

"Yeah, yeah," Darcy muttered, starting to get up slowly from her spot on the bench, grunting a little. "You tell me a lot of things, babe."

Darcy adjusted her bag strap and sighed, knowing soon she'd not be able to see her toes, and maybe it was for the best since the sight of them, so red and swollen, made her wince all over again.

"Maybe send a cab?" she asked.

"Done."

Back at the Tower, Steve met her in the lobby, his eyes giving her the usual concerned once-over.

He always seemed on edge those days – because it was just his style when his girlfriend was pregnant, Darcy supposed.

A week after she found out she was pregnant, they had their first big fight, and Darcy ended screaming at him, questioning his motives.

"Are you doing this because you think it's the right thing to do, or because you want to be with me?"

And he answered honestly – both. He wanted her but wanted to do right by her.

Darcy didn't exactly know what possessed her to go along with all this.

She barely slept. Her nausea was almost constant. She didn't let Steve cook meat anywhere near her.

But she wanted this, and knew that even when she wanted to have a magical zipper somewhere on her body so that she could step out and be separate from the life growing inside her – she didn't regret this decision.

She didn't even remember how the argument started, but it boiled down to her own insecurities, that she'd trapped Steve with this, that she had shamed him into being with her.

Standing next to her, he stroked her face, kissing her forehead.

"You want a nap?"

"Yeah," Darcy breathed, and sighed as he ran his fingers through her hair. "Come lay down with me?"

He nodded, and they set off toward the elevator.

In Steve's bed Darcy lay on her side with Steve resting his nose against her neck.

He didn't relax, didn't stop gripping her, so she didn't sleep either.

"Babe?" she murmured.

"Huh?"

"What's up?" she asked, and then pushed against him to turn onto her back.

He still held onto her waist, looking into her eyes with his jaw tight.

"I have to leave tonight."

Darcy let that sink in, lifting her hand to touch his face, stroking.

"Is it HYDRA?" she asked, though she knew most likely it was – she probably didn't have to ask.

He nodded, closing his eyes.

"I know we said we'd try and take a step back –"

We meant Steve. He said he'd take a step back from the missions while Darcy was pregnant.

Darcy was in the labs still and not in any great danger, and since disclosing the pregnancy with Jane she barely ever lifted anything.

"But they need you," Darcy finished for him, nodding. "I understand."

"It's fucked up," Steve muttered, making Darcy chuckle a little.

"Language, Captain," she chided.

Steve didn't loosen up at all, still looking worried.

"It's not gonna stop. The work."

Darcy shrugged a little. "I know that. But I know you'll come back every time."

"You don't know that."

He moved away, running a hand through his hair, making it messy.

Every couple days, they'd have this same conversation. But Darcy had just left the Tower after several afternoons in a row being cooped up. The summer cabin fever was real. And she was fine, walking alone and pregnant.

"I did okay today."

"But what if something did happen to me?" he asked, and Darcy looked away, feeling her heartbeat pick up.

She thought about that all the time, even before they started hooking up months ago. Before he even knew her name, and all he ever seemed to do was run around saving people.

Thinking about him being all alone like that made her tear up.

That happened more easily, and before getting pregnant Darcy was a cry baby.

"Are we talking about this like you need me to read your will, or - ?"

She swiped at her eyes, daring to look back at him, and he was staring at her with watery eyes.

"You get everything, Darce. That's already taken care of."

"Oh," she said, because that was all she could say.

"I'm a selfish bastard. I'd never forgive myself if my kid grew up fatherless."

Darcy let out a shaky breath, wanting to say that he wouldn't be angry with himself if he was dead. He'd be nothing. He'd be a grave to visit on the weekend.

"Please stop it, Steve," she murmured. "I can't have this conversation every time you remember I'm your baby mama."

She woke up every morning the same way – remembering all over again that her stomach was swollen with a child she loved more than anything in the world, and she hadn't even met them yet.

"I'm not sorry it's happened," Steve said, his voice firm.

She believed him. And yet she knew he was ashamed that this happened when things could go wrong so easily.

He saw sleeping with Darcy and getting her pregnant as selfish, even though it was something they were both guilty of. He wanted to shoulder all the blame.

She was surprised that he hadn't asked her to marry him the second he found out, though. It was a refreshing thing Darcy liked to remind herself of whenever she was low.

It turned out he wasn't that old-fashioned, and she should have known that when they hooked up after their first date.

She didn't actually know when she got pregnant. Darcy wasn't able to pinpoint a particular time – because there was a lot of fucking in between the first time and now.

"What are you smiling at?" he asked, finally starting to calm down.

Darcy leaned back, the neck of Steve's stained t-shirt falling off her shoulder as she pushed her chest out a little, smirking up at him.

"No-one. I'm not smiling at anyone," she whispered.

Now her hands went to the bottom of her shirt, pulling the material up.

She lifted herself up, pulling her shirt off and tossing it aside, bare-chested and glowing beneath him, sighing a little as the cool air made her nipples furl under Steve's gaze.

He licked his lips, and Darcy smiled wider.

He was on her, his mouth slanting over hers, tongue pushing into her, hot and demanding.

His hands grabbed at her hair, capturing her, like he was afraid she'd make a run for it. Darcy opened her eyes as they kissed, seeing his long eyelashes against his cheeks, his skin already blotching from the heat in their kisses.

He pulled back, his grip still tight on her hair, moving them both so they lay beside each other on the bed, Darcy's stomach pushing against his.

"Do you know how amazing it is? That we made a child together?" she whispered, and he paused, looking down at her bare stomach.

"Yeah," he breathed. "My God."

She chuckled a little at his earnest tone, wondering how the fuck she'd lucked out this way.

He wanted her, all of her, no matter what.

One hand left her hair and rested against her stomach, stroking the stretched skin.

"I love you," Steve whispered, and Darcy wasn't sure who was speaking to.

"We love you, too," she murmured.

Steve's hands fell to her hips and turned Darcy over so her back was to him.

He pushed against her back, his erection rubbing against her ass through his shorts, one hand snaking down her stomach into her panties, making her gasp.

He pushed down her shorts and underwear, fingers grazing her slit while he kissed her neck.

"We'll take it one day at a time," Darcy whispered, her breath hitching as she felt the blunt tip of his cock rub against her cunt.

"I love you," Steve said again, and pushed inside, grunting a little as he bottomed out.

"Jesus, I can't think with you like that –"

He wasn't gentle.

In seconds, they were both panting as he pulled out and slammed his hips against her ass, making her whine.

With one hand on her neck and the other around her middle, he was desperate, muttering something unintelligible into the back of her head.

Tears began to well in her eyes, and she sniffled, overwhelmed.

"I love you," he kept saying, like mantra.

She settled her hand between her legs close to where they met, playing with her clit as he never let up –

Her toes curled and she came, shaking all over as she felt the grip on her throat tighten.

He shoved as far in as he could go, and spilt inside her.

He whimpered her name and Darcy felt the tears fall.

Steve pulled out, and Darcy turned over to see him crying softly, almost ashamed as he covered his face with one hand.

"Baby, it's okay. Just us three. Just us three in the whole world."

She pressed her mouth to his, his arms wrapping around her once more.